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F10 / F11 (2011 - 2016) The sixth generation of the BMW 5 Series Sedan (F10) was produced from 2011 - 2016 with LCI updates arriving in 2014. In the US BMW offered a hatchback 5 Series Gran Truismo (F07) and the rest of the world also go a Station Wagon/Touring version F11.

Currently shopping for a 535xi. Been doing research and still unsure which would be a better choice. I'm hearing the earlier F10's have some problems but you guys as owners know much more than I do. Did most of the problems get fixed by 2012 or did they continue as well. I habe tried searching but not with much help in the specific years i'm looking for. I'm looking for something with lower miles so i can still have a cpo and purchase an extended warrenty for when the cpo runs out. Please help as i'm unsure what to do.

- 2013 has NBT (latest generation) iDrive, while most of earlier 2012 have CIC (previous generation) iDrive. Both work pretty good, but obviously NBT is better (better hardware, faster, bigger hard drive, more features).
- 2013 has newer generation of ACC/collision warning/braking function, which can handle more situations and has wider range of operational speeds.

Can't think of anything other than NBT idrive in the 13s. That alone is worth it, but BMW also makes lots of small updates over the course of a model run-- most of which they dont even mention. So newer is better in my book.

Currently shopping for a 535xi. Been doing research and still unsure which would be a better choice. I'm hearing the earlier F10's have some problems but you guys as owners know much more than I do. Did most of the problems get fixed by 2012 or did they continue as well. I habe tried searching but not with much help in the specific years i'm looking for. I'm looking for something with lower miles so i can still have a cpo and purchase an extended warrenty for when the cpo runs out. Please help as i'm unsure what to do.

Thanks for all the help
-J

As you might know, 2014 is the refresh year, if you an swing that, that would be the best choice. I had a 2012 535i and it still had some issues such as throttle lag and highway vibration, go for the 2013 if it comes down to 2012 or 2013.

I traded my 2012 535i last September with 22,000 miles. It was built 1/2012 and the only service issue I had was with battery failure at 10,000 miles, which is a known problem. This was one of the best cars I have ever owned and I loved it. I was an active Bimmerfest member back then and from the information I obtained, it seems BMW corrected many of the first year problems affecting early 5 series models just prior to my build date, although some may beg to differ on this opinion. My car did still have some minor throttle lag issues and the steering feel could have been better (common complaints all over the forum at the time), however, these were not a big enough issues for me on my particular car to ruin my overall experience and I am considering picking up a new 5 or 7 series next year.

While even current model 5 series cars can have issues because nothing in life is perfect, I would tend to avoid buying one built prior to 1/2012 and if I were you, I would try to find the newest version I could afford with the most warranty available. Why, because it seems the general consensus is that owners with later model cars have had a better ownership experience than those who got in early and I donít see a lot of further discussion on these issues, which kept this forum very active in 2011 and 2012. I have also read postings from owners who had early models that were either traded, or end up as buybacks, who claim the second go-around with a newer model was much better, which you would expect as BMW continually makes improvements.

I traded my 2012 535i last September with 22,000 miles. It was built 1/2012 and the only service issue I had was with battery failure at 10,000 miles, which is a known problem. This was one of the best cars I have ever owned and I loved it. I was an active Bimmerfest member back then and from the information I obtained, it seems BMW corrected many of the first year problems affecting early 5 series models just prior to my build date, although some may beg to differ on this opinion. My car did still have some minor throttle lag issues and the steering feel could have been better (common complaints all over the forum at the time), however, these were not a big enough issues for me on my particular car to ruin my overall experience and I am considering picking up a new 5 or 7 series next year.

While even current model 5 series cars can have issues because nothing in life is perfect, I would tend to avoid buying one built prior to 1/2012 and if I were you, I would try to find the newest version I could afford with the most warranty available. Why, because it seems the general consensus is that owners with later model cars have had a better ownership experience than those who got in early and I donít see a lot of further discussion on these issues, which kept this forum very active in 2011 and 2012. I have also read postings from owners who had early models that were either traded, or end up as buybacks, who claim the second go-around with a newer model was much better, which you would expect as BMW continually makes improvements.

You are spot on jimfan. I own a 2102 535i with a 1/2012 build date. I have 25,000 miles on it and no problems, not even the battery. At a recent maintenance visit they did some kind of software update and the turbo lag/tip in issue disappeared. It is a smooth as butter from a standing or rolling start. But earlier is better, all other things equal. However, I wouldn't shy away from a 2012 as long as the build date is 1/2012 or later. Also, both the M-Sport and Sport packages had the dynamic damper control which means the suspension settings were adjustable from comfort+, comfort and sport. A nice feature.

You are spot on jimfan. I own a 2102 535i with a 1/2012 build date. I have 25,000 miles on it and no problems, not even the battery. At a recent maintenance visit they did some kind of software update and the turbo lag/tip in issue disappeared. It is a smooth as butter from a standing or rolling start. But earlier is better, all other things equal. However, I wouldn't shy away from a 2012 as long as the build date is 1/2012 or later. Also, both the M-Sport and Sport packages had the dynamic damper control which means the suspension settings were adjustable from comfort+, comfort and sport. A nice feature.

I have a 2012 535i with a build date in late 2011. Am at 56,000 miles and I have had zero issues in the last 12,000 miles and the Service Report from the time of the previous owner indicates there were no issues.

If I was in your situation, I would give the year 2013 a little more weight over a 2012, but in the end, I would pick the car that had the color and configuration that I want (price obviously always a consideration).

I agree here, in my case I found 2012 with the right color/features and the price was much better on 2012, especially at that time there were many 2012's after 3-year lease. Closer to the end of the year, 2013's will start to appear more and selection would be quite better.

I just went through this, trying to decide between a 12 and a 13. In the end, I went with a 13 because it was going to be CPO, and I figured the extra warranty coverage is helpful. The packages differ between the years, so in my case, looking for a HUD meant one package one year, a different package the other year. Once I got the differences in packages down, the search got easier.